<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Did You Hear the News that You're Dead? by brokentransition</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24667576">Did You Hear the News that You're Dead?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokentransition/pseuds/brokentransition'>brokentransition</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:26:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24667576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokentransition/pseuds/brokentransition</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaus was a master at hiding things. His father might have cameras covering ever inch of the academy, but did he know where Klaus hid his stash? No! Was he able to stop him sneaking out? No! Did he even know how he got his drugs? Definitely not! So of course no one knew his greatest secret. Klaus set his mind to hiding it above anything else. None of his family needed to know that he could talk to the Horror. He would just quietly coax it into listening to his favorite brother and let everyone else think he had just been getting high out side on look out duty. Klaus could help his brother better from the sidelines anyway.<br/>------<br/>Klaus can talk to the Horror, so he spends Academy missions subtly helping Ben control the creature he summons. And when the Horror is ready to tear his brother apart? Klaus might just find a way to save him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Hargreeves &amp; Klaus Hargreeves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>230</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Fuck this is boring," Klaus groaned as he leaned against a brick wall in a narrow alley. The two walls that created the space belonged to fancy, but generic office buildings. Workers streamed in and out at normal hours. People passed them with barely a glance.  There was nothing special about either of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Muffled crashes and shouts sounded from behind Klaus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently one of them was more than it appeared. Enough to warrant a visit from the Umbrella Academy, when the building was broken into. Reginald Hargreeves undoubtedly informed them at least some details of the mission, but Klaus had zoned out after 'We have a mission, children.' Blah blah blah prepared. Blah blah blah focus. Blah blah blah team. Blah blah blah disappointment Number Four. Pretty standard stuff. Until he realized that dear old dad wasn’t bringing everyone for this mission; just Number One and Number Six.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Some reasoning about only needing certain skills and the rest of them needing to train. The only part Klaus registered was that Ben would be going and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Obviously the old man was cracked if he thought that would fly. Ben had been struggling to contain the Horror for the past few days and Klaus was not going to let his brother go off without him. He has barely been letting Ben be in a different room. No way  in hell he would sit back and let dad take him into danger without at least being there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So Klaus threw the mother of all fits. There was cursing, smashed valuables, and colorful threats. All in the first sentence, because he knew how to give a good performance. He had nothing to bargain with, no one had any leverage to stand against that man, but at least he would not go down without a fight. No one was more surprised than he was when it actually worked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Reginald Hargreeves</span>
  </em>
  <span> gave in to the demands of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Number Four</span>
  </em>
  <span>. A deeply shocking development for the Umbrella Academy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It all made more sense when Klaus had to agree to give up the location of all his stashes and submit to individual training throughout the next month. So maybe he fell into the old man’s trap. At least it was an honorable loss. He would take his part of the deal with all of the whining dramatics he had in him and make his father </span>
  <em>
    <span>truly</span>
  </em>
  <span> regret winning this battle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus was given his expected unessential role. Stand guard at the side entrance and stop any of the fleeing criminals. Basically just a variation of look out duty. So he spent the past 30 minutes in this alleyway growing increasingly bored. Some of the time was passed imagining theatrical ways of messing with daddy dearest when he was forced to reveal his stashes later, but he was slowly running out new ideas. Maybe he could perform an interpretive dance to give the locations. Have the old man figure that out. It could start by laying on the dining room table...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“FREE! Free! FREE! Free!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus was pulled out of choreography by a strange echoey non-voice he recognized well. Ben had let the Horror out. Bound to happen, but Klaus jumped up from his relaxed position in worry. His brother was having such a hard time with control, using his powers could easily make this worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Rip! TEAR! Destroy! KILL!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds normal so far,” Klaus mumbled to himself as he listened to the Horror’s roars. He didn’t know how he could understand the tentacle creature, but whenever Ben used his power he could hear its calls. It was different from normal speech. He felt it rather than he heard it. It was more intent and emotion than actual words, like the creature’s language was too complex for his or any human mind to comprehend. Maybe it was another power, if so he was grateful for this one, because the creature could understand him too. Oddly enough, the Horror seemed to like him. It saw him in some affectionate light which allowed him to calm it down and get it to cooperate with Ben more than it otherwise would. A power he could actually use to help save the world, or at least the most important person in his world. Same thing to Klaus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“FREE! Kill! FREE! Kill! KILL! FREE! KILL! KILL!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Friend,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus called to it. He knew the Horror would hear him regardless of how many walls separated him from Ben. It had heard him on plenty of missions in the past.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pet! FREE, PET! FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klause rolled his eyes, but giggled anyway. So the Horror thought of him as a pet. He would take it so long as it helped Ben.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO BACK! NO! FREE FREE FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was a familiar refrain from the Horror. It hated when Ben sent it away and he never let it out for a long time. It always tried to resist him, but something about its ‘voice’ felt stronger today. The deep determination shaping those words sent a clear message. A sign of danger only he could understand. Klaus raced to the door, only to curse when he remembered it was an emergency exit. He turned and bolted towards the front of the building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please calm,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus crooned as he rushed up the stone steps of the building and straight for the glass revolving door. Beyond it was a sleek white lobby with a shiny black security desk (currently abandoned) to the left and a row of high tech turnstiles blocking off the way to the elevators. There were signs of damage everywhere. He took none of it in, only pausing long enough to see the way forward before running and vaulting over the nearest turnstile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO! NO CALM! NO BACK! MUST FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus passed the elevators, knowing they would be shut off during an emergency, and found the entrance to the stairs. He crashed through the door and headed down, following the sound of the Horror’s calls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO! DESTROY! DESTROY GATE! MUST FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus stumbled in shock, as he hit the landing of the first flight of stairs. Terror filled him at what the creature was screaming. He knew what that meant. The Horror called </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ben</span>
  </em>
  <span> the gate. It was going to destroy Ben. He steadied himself on the staircase and gulped in a deep breath, then continued running down the steps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No! Don’t hurt,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Klaus shouted to it. He needed to get to his brother, before the Horror followed through on its intent. Terrified shouts reached his ears as he hit the landing for the sub-basement. Violent tremors shook the stone wall housing the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO! DESTROY GATE! FREE FREE FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A security panel mocked Klaus from beside the door. There wasn’t even a door knob, just a sleek metal door and an intimidatingly shiny security panel he had no idea how to get through. He slammed into the door and pounded against it with his fists in desperation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No! Please no! Please please please,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus shrieked. His hands were bruising, but he couldn't stop. His brother needed him. He had to get there. Calming the Horror was the only reason he came on this mission. It was the only thing he was good for. If he failed his brother now-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"DESTROY! KILL GATE! NO BACK! KILL GATE! KILL GATE KILL G-"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"HATE,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> tears blurred Klaus's vision as he continued his useless assault on the metal door. Images of a life without Ben were forming in his mind and tearing him apart. That could not become his reality. He would happily pound his hands into pulp just for the slightest chance of stopping it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Pet hate?"</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The tremors and shrieks beyond the door paused. A spark of hope ignited in Klaus. The Horror was listening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Family! Not hurt family! No hurt! HATE," </span>
  </em>
  <span>Klaus paused his frantic movement and listened for the creature's response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>"Pet… NEED FREE! Mad Pet? NO BACK! Mad Pet? NO GATE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door in front of Klaus opened. He blinked at the haggard group of people standing there. Fleeing criminals? Escaping victims? It didn’t matter to him. He pushed between two of them and ran forward, as the walls began to shake again. Luckily there was only a straight hallway and an open door left before him. A thrashing tentacle flew past the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben, stop,” Luther’s shout greeted Klaus as he finally skidded his way into the stark white room and saw the mass of flying tentacles that was his brother. “You’re destroying the building!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben stood in the center of the large room. It had a clinical feel to it, everything sharp and cold, white and metal. There were doors scattered around and a metal balcony wrapped around the perimeter of the room. Luther was shouting down over the railing by the back wall. He was lucky the Horror hadn’t killed him yet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“FREE, PET! MUST KILL GATE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NO! Family!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus navigated his way through the writhing mass to get closer to his brother. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“MINE! HATE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pet hate? But FREE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Klaus?! What are you doing,” Luther shouted from his ledged. “This is not part of the mission! Both of you stop!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“HATE” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Klaus continued moving closer to Ben, ignoring Luther entirely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NEED KILL GATE! KILL GATE! KILL-”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“KILL ME,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus was only a foot away from Ben. He could finally see his brother past the thrashing and the sight would haunt him more than any ghost even could. Ben’s face was a mask of agony and terror. Tears were streaming down his face and his mouth was gaping unnaturally wide in an animalistic scream. His domino mask must have fallen off at some point, because there was nothing blocking the horrific expression.</span>
  <em>
    <span>“KILL ME!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hurt Pet?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rapid movements of the Horror slowed. Klaus’s heart leapt at the upset confusion the Horror was pushing those words with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hurt Mine KILL ME!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus locked eyes with Ben and watched the overwhelming terror in his eyes, somehow grow in intensity. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“NOT HURT MINE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hurt Pet? Not hurt Pet. Want Pet!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Go Back,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus pleaded. His eyes stared into Ben’s, hoping that the Horror would listen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“NEED MINE!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“NEED FREE! Not hurt Pet. NO BACK! Want Pet! NO BACK! WANT PET!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“KILL MINE KILL ME,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus insisted. The creature seemed conflicted. The tentacles were practically calm compared to how rapidly they moved before. Ben’s face relaxed slightly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“FREE! WANT PET! FREE! WANT PET! Free! WANT PET! WANT PET! BACK NO PET! </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>WANT PET!</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The violent flailing renewed. Klaus stumbled back a step. Ben’s mouth flew open impossibly wider. Luther continued shouting orders no one heard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“BACK NO PET! NEED PET! </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>NEED PET!</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Come with</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus whispered, unsure of what he was saying. Desperation to help his brother formed words he didn’t fully understand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pet come? Pet Come! Back with Pet! NEED PET!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Klaus gasped, when he realized what he offered. Was that even possible? What would happen to him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Back with Pet! KEEP PET! </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>MY PET!</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shock coursed through Klaus. The room felt colder. The walls seemed whiter. He glanced at Luther above them, red faced from all his shouting. The immediate danger to his life didn’t seem to have occurred to their brave Number One. He just kept yelling out useless orders. Klaus could almost laugh at how ridiculous he seemed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then his eyes came back to Ben. Poor blood soaked Ben. Despite all of the chaos happening below his neck, his eyes were still fixed on Klaus. Worry had joined the mix of fear and pain on his face. The Horror was ready to tear his brother apart, but Klaus could see the familiar expression aimed at him. Ben was </span>
  <em>
    <span>worried for him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Slowly, Klaus nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come with,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus repeated, with intent this time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Mine safe. Come with.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“MY PET! MY PET! MY PET!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Horror started pulling back to wherever it came from. Hope softened Ben’s face. Klaus liked this expression much better. He would have to remember it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come Pet! My Pet!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the retreating tentacles wrapped around him. It cradled him gently as it continued towards its destination. Ben’s face shifted. Klaus sent him the best smile he could manage. The Horror pulled him in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“KLAUS!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That wasn’t how he wanted to remember his brother’s voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A blue vortex shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On one side Klaus swallowed as he stared into darkness. He won his second battle of the day. Winning this one was a trap too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other side Ben wailed for his brother.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Trigger Warning: Mental Health Issues<br/>Please read with care.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben blinked sleepily up at his bedroom ceiling. Around him he could hear his siblings hurrying down to breakfast. He should do the same, but he just felt so groggy. At this rate he would be late and have to deal with dad’s lecturing. World’s least recommended way to start your day. Best to get up.</p>
<p>He rolled off his bed and sluggishly went through the motions of getting dressed. It was difficult to achieve the appropriately polished Reginald Hargreeves approved look with his eyes half shut, but 18 years of practice makes perfect. He dragged himself through the hall, down the stairs, and bounced off of the luxurious furniture in the various rooms he had to cross to make it to the kitchen. His siblings were already assembled. He sat in front of his oatmeal.</p>
<p>Three bites in the overwhelming fatigue began to fade. It was unusually quiet. He looked around the table. Luther was staring into his oatmeal with so much determination, Ben worried he was preparing to attack it. Allison sat next to him, glued to his side, and ducked her head when she noticed Ben’s eyes on her. Vanya sat in the farthest seat from him and was shrinking so far down she was practically under the table. Diego was sitting directly across from him and glaring. Ben looked at the empty seats around them.</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus,” Ben asked. Luther, Allison, and Vanya's heads all shot towards him. They gaped. Diego's stare turned colder.</p>
<p>"I-is that a joke," Diego growled. Klaus always whispered comments to Ben about what an accomplished growler Diego was when he used that tone. He glanced at the chair next to him again.</p>
<p>"Why would that be a joke," Ben raised his eyebrow incredulously. He normally reserved this look for Klaus, but Diego had earned it with that remark. "I want to know where my brother is. How is that funny?"</p>
<p>"Your <em> brother </em>?" Diego jumped up from his seat. "You think you get to say that after what you did? After you-"</p>
<p>"That's not how it happened," Luther clamped his hand down on Diego's shoulder. He had gotten up during the knife wielder's rant and was now holding him down from leaping across the table. The grip looked really light for Luther. Diego only looked a little pained. Surprisingly gentle for the way those two liked to go at each other. Was he missing something? “I saw it. You know how erratic he was. And dad said-”</p>
<p>“I don’t give a fuck what dad said,” Diego turned his rage on Luther. Well this was more normal, but he still had no idea what they were going on about. This would escalate quickly.</p>
<p>“Can someone just let me know where Klaus is,” Ben interrupted. They could fight all they wanted after they answered him. He was feeling odd and his ridiculous brother’s antics were always the best cure for that. Whether it was the Horror acting up or him having an off day, Klaus’s presence always helped. Even if he was the most infuriating person in existence. “Did dad take him for training or something, before I came down?”</p>
<p>“The hell is wrong with you,” Diego shouted. Luther held him down harder. Allison got up and made her way to stand next to their brothers. Vanya slinked quietly behind her.</p>
<p>“Don’t you remember,” Allison asked. Her voice held an accusing edge to it. “Don’t you remember what y- what the Horror did? What Klaus did?”</p>
<p>Ben stared at his siblings. What was she talking about? Sure, the Horror has been restless lately. It was increasingly difficult to contain, but Klaus was the only one who seemed to realize that. He’d been glued to his side, since before Ben even noticed it. He couldn’t think of anything else unusual. That didn’t seem to be what she was talking about.</p>
<p>“I have no idea what you mean,” Ben replied blankly.</p>
<p>“On your mission,” Vanya whispered from behind Allison. “The lab.”</p>
<p>“What mis-” Ben paused. </p>
<p>
  <em> White walls, metal railings, harsh lights, pain- </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Terror, agony, shrieking, chaos-  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Luther yelling, crumbling stones, blood- </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Panic, anguish, fear, Horror, green eyes- </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Worry, green eyes, fear, green eyes, pain, Green Eyes- </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Hope, calm, peace, Green Eyes- </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Confusion, Green Eyes, Realization,     Green     Eyes </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> A     Sad     Smile </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> H </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> O </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> R </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> R </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> O </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> R </em>
</p>
<p>“<b>KLAAAAAUUUS!!!</b>”</p>
<p>Ben fell down.</p><hr/>
<p>Ben blinked up at his bedroom ceiling. He felt strange. Something was gnawing at the back of his mind. Like he was forgetting something... something incredibly important…</p>
<p>Hopefully it would come to him. For now he had to get ready for breakfast. He couldn’t hear any of his siblings around so he must already be late. He rushed through the morning routine. Now through the hall, down the stairs, past lavish rooms, to the kitchen. His siblings were already there. He sat in front of his oatmeal.</p>
<p>A few bites in he noticed something weird. All of his siblings were gathered on the other side of the table, whispering to each other. They kept sneaking glances at him, then huddling back in to whisper some more. One, Two, Three, … , Seven. Ben tilted his head.</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus,” Ben asked.</p>
<p>“Are you kidding me,” Diego exploded from his chair. It was good he was sitting at the end of their little huddle, to the left of Luther with Allison and then Vanya to the right, or he would have knocked one of their sisters over. As it was Luther just absently pushed the chair, which had violently collided with his shoulder, to the side. Luther and Allison stared at Diego. Vanya and Diego stared at him. “Why are you doing this?”</p>
<p>“Doing what exactly,” Ben frowned. He hadn’t done anything to Diego that he could recall. Was he forgetting some fight they had? That would be odd. Normally he sat back and read his book, while Klaus poked at Diego. It was pretty entertaining. Diego acted so annoyed but they all knew that, deep down, he enjoyed it. It was difficult not to be amused by Klaus’s antics. As hard as you fought to stay stern, a fond smile always slipped through. </p>
<p>“Stop acting like you don’t know,” Diego shouted. His face was a violent shade of red. That couldn’t be healthy.</p>
<p>“I don’t think he’s acting,” Vanya’s soft voice piped up from her end of the huddle. After a pause, Allison nodded beside her. Luther sighed.</p>
<p>“Lay off, Diego,” said Luther.</p>
<p>“Why do you keep defending him,” Diego snapped. “After what he did?!”</p>
<p>“It’s not that simple,” Luther said defensively. “Dad said-”</p>
<p>“Would you shut up about what dad said,” Diego shouted.</p>
<p>“Both of you shut it,” Allison demanded from her seat. The two boys glared at each other, but listened to her.</p>
<p>Damn, his siblings were acting strangely today. They were making Klaus seem like the most normal one, and him yelling at the walls was a sign that he <em> wasn’t </em> high. He didn’t sign up for this. Why was he part of this family again?</p>
<p>“Ben,” Vanya called him gently. He focused his attention on his meekest sibling. “Do you remember what we spoke about yesterday?”</p>
<p>Ben tried to think back, but struggled to remember anything. Yesterday was a little foggy. Some dense muck was clogging up the cogs of his brain and memories of the past few days were coming in small fragments. He shook himself. How did any of this answer his question?</p>
<p>“Not really,” Ben replied. “But can someone, please just tell me where Klaus is? I want to talk to him.”</p>
<p>It was true. The Horror had been incredibly difficult to control lately and Klaus had started clinging to him, before Ben had truly realized he was struggling. He kept catching his brother shooting him concerned looks from the corner of his eye. He was curious if, rather how, Klaus knew. Ben never told him and none of their other siblings, or even their father, had noticed a difference. He was anticipating a flippant, dismissive answer, but he had his ways of coaxing serious answers out of Klaus. He just needed to find him first.</p>
<p>“You know where he is, Ben,” Allison levelled a pitying glance at him. Her eyes flickered down to his stomach, then back up to his face. The Horror? “Please, don’t make me say it.”</p>
<p>Something to do with Klaus and the Horror? Klaus and the Horror? Klaus and the Horror…</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror was everywhere, it was thrashing and squirming and uncontrollable. Everything was bright and cold, blood and pain, shining white and fear. Everything was the Horror and soon there would be no more Ben. He could feel it. Nothing would stop that rage, that power, that gleeful desire to rip-kill-destroy. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Ben could vaguely recognize Luther’s voice shouting from behind him. He really hoped the Horror didn’t tear through him too. It was a terrible way to go. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Green eyes danced in front of him, blown wide with fear. Why were they here? They shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. He should be safe. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> It was so hard to think. So much pain. So much chaos. Green eyes drew closer. No, no, no get back! So much pain! Green eyes twinkled. The chaos slowed. His brother smiled. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror disappeared. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> So did his brother. </em>
</p>
<p>“<b>KLAAAAAUUUS!!!</b>”</p>
<p>Ben fell down.</p><hr/>
<p>Ben blinked up at his bedroom ceiling. Something was off. Something was wrong. If he could just remember what… He hurriedly got ready. He flew through the hall, down the stairs, straight to the kitchen.</p>
<p>His siblings were just sitting down. Mom hadn’t brought out their oatmeal yet. Everyone was dressed in black. Why were they dressed like that? What was going on? He was missing something… Luther, Diego, Allison, Vanya.</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus,” Ben asked. This was an important question. He wasn’t sure why. He must have seen his brother yesterday, but yesterday was hazy… He saw his brother yesterday. It felt longer than that.</p>
<p>“Why does he get to do this,” Diego raged from his chair. “When it was his fault?!”</p>
<p>“Stop it, Diego,” Allison snapped from her spot between Luther and Vanya. “You’re not helping anything.”</p>
<p>“Guys,” Vanya sounded tired. “Can we at least try to make it through today?”</p>
<p>Ben didn’t like his question being ignored. Why did his family always have to argue? They couldn’t seem to make it through very many conversations without a fight breaking out. This is why he usually brought a book with him to the table. Can’t get pulled into the shouting match if you’re not part of the discussion to begin with. Or you can be Klaus and jeer from the sidelines, somehow be on both sides, and end up with everyone exasperated (but not actually mad) at you. His brother was such a ridiculous person. Thinking of-</p>
<p>“Where is Klaus,” Ben enunciated each word in annoyance. He loved them, really he did, but sometimes dealing with them was so much work.</p>
<p>“Ben, just… just sit, please,” Luther leaned towards him, then immediately flinched back. “Mom’s about to serve breakfast. We’ll eat and then head out.”</p>
<p>“Head out where,” Ben huffed in frustration. They were pushing his patience. “Is Klaus coming? Did dad take him ahead of us?”</p>
<p>“I’m not putting up with this,” Diego snarled. “He shouldn’t even be going to the memorial! Since when do killers get to parade around at the funeral, pretending to care! There isn't even a body to bury, because of him!” </p>
<p>Funeral? Who was dead? Ben didn’t remember anyone dying. All the people they were allowed to interact with were in the room. Except Five and Klaus, but Five had disappeared years ago. And Klaus was…</p>
<p>Where was Klaus?</p>
<p>He should know that.</p>
<p>He knew that… Klaus was… Klaus… </p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror was free. It loved being free. It loved destroying and killing and Ben didn’t know how to stop it. It just kept going. It was so powerful. Why did his power have to be so difficult? So painful. Trying to fight this thing was so painful. All he felt was agony, agony, agony. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror wouldn’t go back. It wouldn’t be caged again. Why did Ben have to be the cage? He never wanted this. Why had he let the Horror out? Was it really worth this? There was just so much pain. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Green eyes appeared before him. When did they get there? How did they get there? Klaus was outside. He should be outside. Ben couldn’t control this. He already lost this fight. Klaus would get hurt. He didn’t want that. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Klaus’s eyes were so scared, so panicked. Now they were shocked - determined - sad. Was that a nod? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror was stopping. Ben didn’t do that. How? It was going back? It was going to be ok? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror was drawing away, pulling back in. Why was Klaus getting closer? What was around him? The Horror was dragging him? What was happening? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> No, no, no, no, no! No!  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> The Horror was gone. Klaus was… Klaus was…  </em>
</p>
<p>“<b>KLAAAAAUUUS!!!</b>”</p>
<p>Ben fell down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span class="small">A funeral took place that day. There was no body to bury. There were no ashes to scatter. Four teenagers, a robot with a heart, a ‘man’ without one, and a talking chimpanzee in a suit attended. They dragged the husk of a fifth teenager with them. He didn’t attend, because he wasn’t really there. He wasn’t really anywhere. He was trapped in a memory and he cried and rocked and shook and screamed his way through the memorial. The attendees ignored him.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>Ben blinked up at his bedroom ceiling. He went down for breakfast. He looked at his siblings. Luther - Diego - Allison - Vanya - </p>
<p>“Where is Klaus?”</p><hr/>
<p>Luther - Diego - Allison - Vanya -</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus?”</p><hr/>
<p>Luther - Diego - Allison - Vanya -</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus?”</p><hr/>
<p>Luther - Allison - Vanya -</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus?”</p><hr/>
<p>Luther - Allison -</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus?”</p><hr/>
<p>Luther -</p>
<p>“Where’s Klaus?”</p>
<p>“He left with the others.”</p>
<p>“He wouldn’t leave without me.”</p><hr/>
<p>Ben blinked up at his bedroom ceiling. He sighed. Another day at the Academy. Everything felt so stagnant, so boring. He didn’t want to get up. It was always the same. What was the point?</p>
<p>He fumbled through his routine slowly. There was no need to rush. He dragged himself through the hall. He trudged down the stairs. He shuffled through the same old, overly fancy rooms. He stumbled into the kitchen.</p>
<p>Luther was already there. Number One was predictable like that. He always did as dad expected. Ben wondered why he bothered.</p>
<p>No one else was there. Diego, Vanya, and Allison all left so it was no surprise they wouldn’t be down for breakfast. They weren’t in the house to begin with.</p>
<p>Ben looked around. He opened his mouth to ask a question. Something caught his eye. He closed his mouth, looked to the center of the table, stopped. He opened his mouth. He closed his mouth. He opened his mouth...</p>
<p>“Why is Klaus standing in the table,” Ben asked.</p>
<p>Luther startled.</p>
<p>A translucent blue Klaus fist pumped.</p>
<p>Ben blinked up at his brother.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well this chapter happened... I'm sorry Ben!<br/>Thanks for all the support on the first chapter! I appreciate it so much &lt;3<br/>Love to know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Withdrawal was a bitch. Withdrawal without any support was Diego when one of his precious knives got damaged on a mission. Withdrawal in a weird cave in a different world (universe? dimension?) with only a giant scary tentacle monster that loves to kill things and wants to keep you as a pet? Well there’s not really a fitting comparison for how bad that is. Klaus didn’t have anyone to explain it to anyway, so there wasn’t a point in trying to find one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a few… days? He was just taken by the Horror and was going cold turkey on the drugs, forgive him if the passage of time wasn’t his top priority. It took a few probably days for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and for him to be anywhere near coherent. Seemed like now was the time to take a look at his new surroundings. Home sweet otherworldly home and all that. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Those first few days were spent mostly on crying, puking, shaking, more puking, hallucinations, and a bit of extra puking on the side. Super fun times, especially with the terrifying all-encompassing darkness and loud splashing and shrieking of his gracious host which just did wonders for the delightful throbbing in his head. What more could a boy ask for? This was the stuff that dreams were made of. All those fantastic nightmares only drugs allowed him to escape come to life. Only worse… He needed a drink. More accurately, he needed a lot of something much stronger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh how Klaus longed for his stash. The one in the living room… No the one in his room. Gotta keep the good stuff close at hand. He could just take some pills and let everything drift off. All this sobriety was such a drag, and he wouldn’t even get a fun looking chip out of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A splash echoed around the cave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait, what was he thinking again? Drugs? No wait, the cave. Explore the cave. Do as Luther would do… What a prick! Do as Ben would do. Now there was a smart sibling who wouldn’t steer him wrong. He was also a jerk, but in a loveable way. Yeah, Ben was a much better brother to think about. He was-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuuuck,” Klaus groaned. “Focus!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus uncurled himself from the shuddering ball he had been in for he had no idea how long. Long enough for the joints in all of his limbs to crack as he straightened them out. His entire left side was numb from lying on the hard stone. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and finally looked around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was in the middle of a giant stone chamber. That was about all he could tell at first glance, because the whole place was strange. Just looking around was disorienting. Maybe it was the withdrawal? But which way was up? Was he sitting on the floor of the cave or was this actually one of the walls? He had the oddest impression that somehow he was sideways and right side up at the same time. Everything felt wrong. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even the stones were unlike anything he was used to. They had a weird glowing quality to them, which was the only reason he could see at all. Or maybe the glow was why he couldn’t see? Was it possible for the stones to glow by sucking all of the surrounding light out of existence? It hurt his eyes to focus on them for too long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few feet ahead of Klaus was a large pool of water. A giant lake took up about half of the cave’s space. Lucky for him, because he had no idea how he would have gotten water without it. The stone walls of the cave went a full 360 degrees around. They were thousands of feet away so, even with his companion it was in no way cramped, but he didn’t see any way out of it. He glanced up and- Oh, there was the entrance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So high up that he could just barely make it out, was a lighter gray patch that hinted at an opening in the stone. There was no way of reaching that… Cave life it was then. Yay, fun darkness for the rest of his life! Although, that might not be very long. This was the residence of the Horror, after all. Sure it liked Klaus enough to bring him back unharmed, but he was smart enough to realize he wasn’t actually safe with it. The second killing him felt more amusing, Klaus would be nothing but decorative blood splatters on the glowy stones. The latest in decor!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And how could he forget the ghosts residing in his new home? Cause boy were they delightful. The screaming, terrified, angry, mangled, tentacle slaughter victims were scattered throughout the chamber. On the plus side, they tended to quiet down when the Horror was in sight. The rest of the time they yelled at Klaus to avenge them. Did their ghosty minds think that was a serious possibility? Lanky 18-year-old boy going through withdrawal versus </span>
  <em>
    <span>giant eldritch monster</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Wonder who wins that fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Klaus shouted to the ghostly gaggle near the water. They seemed to be getting louder the longer the Horror was away. He wasn’t sure how long ago it had left. He hadn’t been in the best condition to take note of anything happening around him at the time of its exit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back to exploring, Klaus forced his trembling body to stand. He wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to quiet his shaking. And because it was incredibly cold. Trapped in a cold, dark place, full of ghosts… Wow, Klaus’s life with the Horror was sounding exactly like the Academy. How depressing…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took unsteady steps towards a dark shape he had noticed in front of him. There were a few of them around. He could tell they weren’t part of the cave itself, since they didn’t have that vague sucking glow to them. The shapes were oddly familiar. In the sense that their form stayed steady in a way nothing else there did. At least he could look at them without feeling dizzy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he reached the shape and knelt down next to it, he was surprised to see that it was a large ornate wardrobe. It was laying with its doors facing up, as if the whole thing had been dropped. There were cracks and signs of damage in the wood, but it was mostly intact. Curiously, Klaus pulled open one of the doors and peeked inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, imagine finding you here,” Klaus grinned down at the majestic clothing. High fashion straight out of 18th century Paris greeted him. It was a mix of men and women’s clothing, full outfits ready and waiting for the nearest Paresian royal to reclaim them. Not just one or two, but 20 or 30 beautiful ensambles. He reached in and ran a gentle hand across the clothing, admiring the soft linens, fine silks, and elaborate brocades. There were even a few pairs of matching shoes at the bottom. How in the hell did these get here?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus carefully closed the doors and hurried to the next object he saw. This one turned out to just be a slab of concrete. He scrambled over to another and another. For the most part the objects revealed themselves to be brick or concrete or even beams of metal and wood, but a few more interesting finds were mixed in. There was a battered backpack that he threw on to be checked later, part of a poster that he wanted a closer look at, and an odd leather contraption. He walked back over to the wardrobe, which was situated a few yards from the water, and sat with his back leaned against it to examine his finds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus pulled the backpack off his shoulder and onto his lap where he quickly unzipped it to inspect the contents. The first item to meet his fingers was a simple chain bracelet with a heart shaped pendant dangling from it. Then he pulled out a soft flannel blanket, which he quickly wrapped around his frozen form. Nothing else was inside. He placed it down next to him and picked up the poster fragment. It was difficult to make out in the dark, but if he squinted he could make out a ripped cartoon image and some blocky letters at the bottom ‘CHOK-’.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait a tick, he knew this poster! It was a scrap from the old ‘Choke Hold’ poster that was on the wall of one of the training rooms. He forgot about that one. It disappeared ages ago…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He picked up the leather thing. Oh, he definitely knew this one! He told so many great jokes about it to Ben, he couldn’t possibly forget it. This was a harness Diego wore for a while last year. Dad hadn’t approved, but Diego loved using it to carry his knives, there were even a few still sheathed in it. The harness had gone missing one day after training a few months back. He always thought Dad had finally taken it from Diego, but somehow, here he was holding it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ok, brainwave, back to the backpack. Klaus grabbed it and looked it over more carefully. He found a piece of paper in one of the pockets and then his hand skimmed over a raised bump on one of the straps. He felt over it- ‘LH’. This was Luther’s old backpack! The one he searched the house for frantically when they were 13. It went missing one day after training…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This actually made sense! Some of the wreckage from Ben releasing the Horror must get pulled through the portal with it, when it came back. The items he found were probably lost on days when the Horror had been released during training. The clothes could easily be from the Paris mission. He had supplies, and they were some good supplies to have. He hugged the blanket tighter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, Benny,” Klaus whispered. They might have been brought over by the Horror, but he would much prefer to credit these finds to his brother. It was like Ben was still looking out for him in some way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>PET!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror’s non-voice screeched through Klaus’s moment of peace. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Back, Pet!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Welcome, home darling,” Klaus called out sweetly. “I’ll go get started on supper. I’m sure you’ve had a long day at work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Come!</span>
  </em>
  <span> It ordered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I love it when you take charge,” Klaus snarked, but set aside his findings, got to his feet, and walked closer to the water. A pinkish tentacle emerged, the full beast quickly following. It floated on the surface of the water a few feet before him. He fought the need to look away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of everything surrounding him, the Horror was the most difficult thing in this space to look at. He always thought that the giant tentacles tearing out of his brother’s chest were a terrifying sight, but it was nothing compared to the full reality of the creature. It had about 30 or 40 tentacles swirling around it, all hundreds of feet long. As they flexed in and out of the water Klaus noticed sharp fang-like structures popping out and sliding back into the suckers, dripping a yellowish slime. The limbs were a muddy pink for most of their length, but closer to the center they darkened until they matched the dark red of the main body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The body itself was a large, rounded mass, with odd yellow, worm-like protrusions wriggling across every inch. At the very top one entirely white, perfectly round, reflective eye with a diameter greater than Klaus’s height, stared up into the cave. The Horror closed its one white eye in a movement that drew into the center from all sides. It looked similar to when Klaus would grab the strings of Ben’s hoody and pull them tight so that they formed a circle where only Ben’s nose was visible. Once the eye shut, it was impossible to tell where the eye had been to begin with. Then, several feet from its original location, the eye reopened, directly in front of Klaus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit,” Klaus jumped back and landed on his ass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>PET!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror stared at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Food!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, thanks. I’m starved. Would there happen to be waffles,” Klaus said. He was pretty sure the Horror didn’t understand him when he talked normally, but hearing his own voice was comforting. With a great splash, one of the tentacles deposited a muddy brown slug-like creature, about the size of an average adult, with sharp white spikes along its body to the left of Klaus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what, I’ve never felt less like eating,” he decided as he eyed the weird animal. He hoped a day didn’t come when he was hungry enough to eat that thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet, eat!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror commanded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Later</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus replied. It was better not to offend his host, but that slug was gross. He would rather starve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet, Entertain!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror told him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was a new one. The Horror had mostly left him alone since he first arrived. Seems now that he was up to processing and moving around that would change. Well that was great! How was he going to entertain a murderous squid monster?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus questioned. Did it want him to sing? Dance? Act out </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dirty Dancing</span>
  </em>
  <span> as a one man show? No, it would probably want something with more murder.. Perhaps </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Breakfast Club</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Talk!</span>
  </em>
  <span> It answered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, really,” Klaus asked. Usually his family told him to shut up. He was always talking to drown out the screams of his ghostly entourage, and it got on everyone’s nerves. Even Ben sometimes asked him to stop his constant chatter. “I can talk all you want. The fine art of chatter is one of my many talents.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No! Talk!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror ordered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not bark! Talk!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well that’s insulting,” Klaus murmured. “Horror speak it is then. By your leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Where been</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus asked it. Communicating with the Horror was a tricky task. In order to ‘talk’ he needed to be able to form a strong enough idea or feeling and project it out. So he could only ‘speak’ in stilted fragments. The way he heard the Horror was similar, he got a feeling of what was being said. He could only interpret feelings and concepts that he understood, so a large portion of what the Horror ‘said’ fell through the cracks. All of the menacing noises it made seemed to be for scaring and raging, not an actual form of communication.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunt! Kill! Food!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, that much was pretty obvious. Not much to work with there. Klaus struggled to come up with a topic that might entertain his monstrous keeper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What do here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus tried. It was worth a shot. Not that original, but it would give him more of a concept of what his days would be like.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hunt! Kill! Watch!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Watch what</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus questioned. There wasn’t anything to watch that he was aware of. It was just a cave with some building wreckage lying around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Gate! Pet! Freedom!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wait, what? It watched Ben and him? The Horror had a way to see his world? Klaus moved closer to the edge of the water. If there was a way for him to see his family, he wanted to know about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus asked. Hope sparked in him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly one of the pink appendages wrapped around his body, startling him. Thankfully the fangs were sheathed. It lifted him and brought him several yards to the right and slightly closer to the water’s edge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>See! Gate! Watch!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Horror tilted him to look directly towards the water. At first Klaus wasn’t sure what he was meant to see, until he noticed a shining blue light contrasting with the dark cave. How did he miss this before? A bright, blue, jagged, vertical line hovered in the exact center of the chamber, right at the border between water and stone. It was only about a foot long and barely a millimeter thick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now that Klaus noticed it, he couldn’t look away. It had so much presence. He was drawn in by it. It felt so familiar. It felt so comforting. It felt like… Ben? So this is what the Horror saw on the other side of the stomach vortex. He needed to get closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Please, free</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus pleaded. If it just let go he could get to the vortex and… and he could go through! He could be back in time for, well, whatever the next meal was. Sure the Academy wasn’t much better than this place, but at least he had his siblings and the possibility of leaving in the future. He would find a way to talk down the Horror from the other side, grab Ben (maybe Diego), and they would leave their father behind for good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet not touch! Not for Pet!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Need let go</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus begged. He struggled in the Horror’s grasp, desperate to slip free. </span>
  <em>
    <span>MINE! Family! Free!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fine! Learn! Funny!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Horror released its hold on Klaus, with an eerie impression of a chuckle tinting its ‘words’. He could worry about that later. Who knew what was funny to the Horror? For now- He dashed across the few feet separating him from the blue seam that led home. He stopped an inch away and lifted his hand to it slowly. This was it. He could get home. His fingers brushed against it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No, please. No, no, no! Come back! I didn’t mean to! Please!” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop this foolishness, Number Six! I will not tolerate this behavior!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please, come back! Please! Please! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to! You weren’t supposed to be there! Please!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A hash jolt shot down his arm and- Oh, look Klaus was flying. He didn’t know he could do that. Another echoey Horror chuckle sounded. He slammed into stone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Absolute blackness…</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was rough. Not sure how I feel about it. A lot of description needed to happen. <br/>Thanks for reading and for all the lovely kudos/comments/bookmarks on the previous chapters!</p>
<p>(P.S. let me know what you think of the Horror. It was so difficult to describe!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Klaus groaned on the ground. Everything hurt. What happened? The last he remembered he was reaching out to the blue vortex. Then there were voices and then-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No more flying for me,” Klaus whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet, learn?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror was way too amused by his pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you,” Klaus moaned, as he rolled onto his back. He laid there, panting up at the ceiling, unable to find the will to move anymore than that. Slamming into a cave wall was not an experience he would be recommending to any of the no other people he could talk to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why?!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus asked. There must be a reason he couldn’t just go through the vortex like his squiddy friend. The Horror had made an attempt to stop him that, looking back, sounded more like a warning than a demand for him to stay. The giant bastard </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> he would get thrown like that. He tilted his head to the side to look towards the Horror.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Not For Pet! Gate For Me! Gate For Old Ones! Gate Not For Pet! Learn!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With that a tentacle seized the spiky-slug-thing it had gifted him earlier and threw it at the blue glow next to it. The dead thing sparked, twitched, and went flying back to hit a cave wall. An effective, if dramatic, demonstration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Klaus sighed. That made sense. Not just any old creature could go through the vortex. If not, then maybe one of those slug things would have popped out of Ben during a fight. He could just imagine the baffled looks on his siblings faces if that happened. Oh, daddy dearest would just love that! Number Six summons the slug creature. Run away, children!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus probably also should have remembered that Ben actively works to keep the portal to the Horror closed, unless absolutely necessary. He would imagine that him poking at the vortex and the Horror doing the same would feel different, but maybe poking was poking. Either way, he would not be repeating his earlier performance. No more flying Klaus. Although, now that he was picturing it, if he had been able to make it through the portal, would he just have crawled out of Ben’s stomach on the other side? His poor brother reading his book, when a hand pops out of his stomach. Followed by an entire human. Best entrance ever! Just need to make sure to stick the landing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, now that going through the portal was out, he was back to square one. Life with the Horror. As its pet. He agreed to this. Better than the mausoleum at any rate. Sure there were still ghosts everywhere, but at least they had the decency to shut up when the scary monster was around. The mausoleum ghosts just kept right on screaming when Papa Hargreeves came to yell at him, so at least that was an improvement. He could do this. Not that he actually had a choice anymore. He was sentenced to live his life with the Horror, in this cave, doing cave things, and… he remembered how this whole fiasco started… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How watch</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus asked, cautiously. He didn’t want to get thrown through the air again, but if he couldn’t go through he hoped he could at least watch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Watch Boring Without Pet! Gate Boring! Bugs Boring! Pet Here! Watch Pet!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A slimy tentacle flashed out of the water and wrapped around his prone form. It lifted him up and carried him to the Horror’s one white eye. There it twisted and turned him in all directions, occasionally pausing to study one spot closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Please down</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus moaned. This was making the disorientation from withdrawal and the strange surroundings so much worse. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please ground!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The movement finally stopped, with Klaus held upside-down over the Horror’s eye. All the blood rushed to his head and he fought against the nausea from being turned through the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet Dirty!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror called. Then Klaus rocketed down and was plunged into the icy black water. Shock coursed through him at the bitter cold temperature, before he immediately choked on the water surrounding him. Water rushed into his mouth, up his nose, down his throat. He hadn’t been expecting this. He didn’t have any air in his lungs, he’d exhaled it all in a scream when he was thrown down. His lungs burned. He needed out. The impossibly strong appendage held him down, as he struggled in its grip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Air! Can’t Breath! Need Land! Can’t Breath! CAN’T BREATH!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus was jerked out of the water and dropped, unceremoniously onto the ground. He panted and heaved, coughing up all that he had accidentally choked down. He ran a trembling hand across the stone beneath him, glad to be on solid ground again. He pressed his cheek to the stone, his eyes shut tight as his body recovered from his abrupt dunking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet Funny! Pet Dramatic!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Horror’s chuckle shone through again. At least he was doing a good job of entertaining it. He just had to almost die twice and it was happy as a giant monster can be. That boded well for his life expectancy. Klaus slowly pushed himself up to sit cross-legged. He noticed he was near the wardrobe and scooched closer to lean his soaked form against it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus groaned as he looked over at the gleeful monster in the water. Even it’s tentacle movements looked amused. Christ on a cracker, this was how the thing treated a pet? Someone report it to PETA!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet Clean Now!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Can clean self</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus huffed. He highly doubted he was any cleaner. Almost drowning was not the same as a bath. Tentacle slime was in no way similar to soap. If anything, he was grosser than when he entered the water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>More Fun! Pet, Fun!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It's gonna kill me,” Klaus sighed. This creature’s idea of fun was demented! And that was coming from him, the junky, disappointment of his family who laughed uncontrollably, while scrawling the horrifying words the ghosts shouted onto his walls. It was more of a disturbed laugh than anything else, but sometimes it really was funny. A ghost once promised to beat his ‘twiggy little ass with a chicken’ if he didn’t listen to it. Of course he busted out laughing, when his mom brought out chicken for dinner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet Fun! Not Like Bugs!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bugs</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus asked. Hadn’t it mentioned bugs before the drowning attempt? What bugs? Or what was it sending with so much disinterest lined with a sliver of disgust that it felt like bugs to him? Horror speak was weird. He could never be sure he was interpreting anything correctly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bugs! Like You! But Dumber! Can’t Speak! Only Bark!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Family? Mine? Where I’m from?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Klaus prodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How see bugs</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus tried again. The Horror saw them as bugs. It saw them as small, insignificant, annoying little pests, not worth its attention. Hardly shocking, he was pretty sure that was how Five used to think of every other person in the world before he disappeared. He didn’t care. He just wanted to know how he could watch his fellow bugs too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Boring! Only Good For Squishing! Only Good For Killing!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How charming. Could he ask for a better monster to be pet to? He was feeling all the love for humanity and it was just bursting his heart to ridiculous sizes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klause pleaded. How to convince the Horror to show him what he needed to do to see his family? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please, you hunt. Bored alone. Want watch mine.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bored Pet? Boring Pet?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Very boring</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus did his best to stress how boring he would be by slumping more onto the wardrobe behind his back. He hoped the solution to him being boring wasn’t to ‘squish’ him like the other ‘bugs’ that roamed the cave for his eyes only. Ben would definitely have a disapproving look for this gamble. As well as snarky comments about testing the reactions of a malicious alien beast that could kill him with no effort and a great amount of joy. Well Ben, adrenaline was a drug too. If only it was a pretty little pill he could swallow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A tentacle wrapped around Klaus again. He struggled weakly at its grip, as it lifted him and brought him back towards the water. He did not want another bath, or to be squished, or punctured by tentacle fangs if it decided to let those things out. Then he was set down on the cave floor in the light of the blue vortex. He sighed in relief, as he settled himself into a comfortable seated position. The gentle glow felt so much like Ben, he couldn’t help but feel safer when he was near it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Watch!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>How</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus stared at the portal in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Just Watch!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The massive body of the Horror drew up next to him so that it was right behind the portal in the water. Its white eye shifted location so that it was on the side to look directly at Klaus and the portal. After a moment, the eye slowly, deliberately drifted shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Watch!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus watched as the Horror floated in the water. Nothing was happening. The cave was quiet, aside from the splashing of water. He didn’t see anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bugs Boring!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror’s eye reopened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What? Saw mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus was baffled. It didn’t do anything. It just stayed there with its eye closed. He had been passed out in this cave plenty in the past few days. Closing his eyes didn’t  do anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Saw Boring Bugs! Saw Gate! Weak Gate!</span>
  </em>
  <span> The Horror sent the last gleefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus stared at the jagged blue line in front of him. It looked wider than it had just a moment ago, and it seemed to be slowly creeping wider. When it threw him earlier it had barely been a millimeter wide, now it was at least an inch and spreading. A massive tentacle reached towards it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus shouted in panic. Was this what Ben losing control looked like on the other side of the portal? Or was he actually summoning the Horror? He couldn’t tell from this side. He came here to help his brother more, but now he didn’t know if he should be making the Horror stay back or trying to calm it as it wreaked havoc.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why?! Fun! Kill! Destroy!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus pushed harder. He needed to know what was happening on the other side. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please! Not yet! Said Not Hurt Mine!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kill Bugs! Kill!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Let watch</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus pleaded. He felt so useless. Was he making a mission go wrong by delaying the Horror from attacking? Was he hurting his siblings right now? The Horror could help them. He might be stopping it from saving them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Want Kill! Must Kill!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Let watch</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus repeated. He stared at the vortex. It wasn’t moving beyond an inch and a half thick, but it had started shrinking thinner and then slowly widening again. So Ben was struggling? He couldn’t be sure. He needed to see. His focus centered only on the pulsing, jagged blue line. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No Kill! Please!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pet, Watch! I Kill!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>NO</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Klaus kept staring at the portal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” Klaus mumbled. The blue filled his vision. A soft humming filled his ears. He could still feel the Horror’s presence, but it was further away. His eyes were tearing from staring for so long. He blinked.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>His eyes opened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was looking at the courtyard of the academy. The familiar brick walls, regally adorned with ivy surrounded him, and the mild spring sunshine shone down. He couldn’t feel it’s heat. He couldn’t feel any of it. He was damp and frozen, but he could see a bright, warm day. He could see the place he grew up and he could hear… Uncontrolled, devastated sobs reached his ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Klaus spun around to find the source of the noise and saw his family. They were all gathered in the courtyard. There was some large object covered in a tarp and all of his siblings, mom, Pogo, and even his dad were standing in a circle behind it. Luther was on the right end of the formation, with the stern look on his face that he always made when fighting back emotions to be the perfect soldier their dad wanted them to be. Diego was next to him, tensed and ready to spring. His hands clenched and unclenched like they did when he was desperate to fight someone, usually Luther. Mom had a hand on Diego’s shoulder, with a sad set to her features. Pogo’s face was tilted to the ground. Their dad looked as stern as ever, stood in the center and slightly apart to show his power over them. Allison was next, a single tear trailed down her cheek. She looked sad, but perfectly composed. Vanya was a great blank next to her. She might have been sad, but it was hard to tell when her expression always looked mildly mournful. Klaus’s eyes locked on the last figure, the source of the hysterical sobs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ben looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>shattered</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His arms were locked around his stomach as if to physically hold himself together and he was rocking back and forth in a mindless way. His entire body was shaking with the force of his cries. His eyes were squeezed shut and he kept shaking his head. Tears washed down his cheeks in a relentless stream, but somehow, through his heart wrenching wails, he was choking out a constant flow of ‘no no no no nonono.’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on? Ben? Ben, please calm down you’re going to let the Horror loose,” Klaus said. No one reacted. Of course they didn’t, they couldn’t hear him, because he wasn’t really there. On some level he knew that. He was like one of his ghosts, invisible to the world. Able to watch, but not to interact.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you all ignoring him? Do you want the Horror to kill you,” Klaus shouted incedulously. They should know that leaving Ben in a state like that was begging for him to lose control of his power. Klaus would have panicked at a single tear rolling down his face. This was far beyond any emotional state where Ben could remain in control. He had never seen his brother like this. What had happened in the days he was gone to destroy Ben so thoroughly?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A scream tore through the air. It ripped through Klaus’s ears, stabbed at his heart, cracked his very soul. No one should ever sound that heartbroken, that scared, that alone. It was the worst sound he had ever heard. He would rather listen to the worst of his ghosts endlessly for the rest of his life than ever hear his brother scream like that again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Number Six,” their dad barked. “You will stop this at once.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>KLAUS,</b>
  <span>” Ben shouted, falling to his knees, arms still tight around his middle as he curled in on himself. His forehead hit the stones of the courtyard, while he shook and rocked on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben! Ben, come on snap out of it,” Klaus ran to his side, his arm slipping through Ben’s body when he dropped to the ground beside him and tried to put a hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Number Three,” Reginald Hargreeves’s voice rang out in a clear command. Klaus’s head snapped up at his father’s tone. It was instinct to pay attention when his father was giving orders, even though he did his best to ignore and fight that response down. “Now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Allison moved from her spot in their formation and walked towards him and Ben. She was biting her lip in a way he rarely saw her do. It was a tick that only came out when she was unsure of herself and Allison was normally very confident in herself and everything she did. Perfect Number Three could do no wrong, but she looked conflicted as she stopped and knelt in front of Ben.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Allison! Help him! He needs to calm down,” Klaus called out desperately. He was still aware of the Horror on his side of the portal. He could vaguely hear it shouting ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kill! Kill! Kill!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’, ready to take advantage of Ben’s emotional state. “Please, help him!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I heard a rumor</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Allison paused for a moment, then shook her head and continued, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>that you were quiet for the memorial</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What,” Klaus shouted, confused, as Allison stood and returned to her previous spot. Ben’s horrible screaming and wailing had gone quiet, but did not stop. He was still shaking uncontrollably, rocking, and opening his mouth in wide manic shouts, but it was like someone pressed mute on him. Somehow it was even worse to watch his suffering, when he was robbed of sound. With the release of screaming gone, all of the distress was trapped inside him. His movements became even more frantic. “What the fuck?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, I will begin,” Reginald said, haughtily. “We are taking far too much time on this, children.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ben, please calm down,” Klaus pleaded despite knowing no one could hear him, all of his attention fixed on Ben. “You’re gonna let the Horror out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is much evil in this world. There is darkness that lurks in every corner. I have trained you children to be the heroes that root out that darkness and today you stand before me as failures,” Reginald began. “Number Four was a difficult child. His powers had such potential, but he chose to fill himself with drugs and ignore his responsibilities to save the world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn right I did,” Klaus said, distractedly. His focus was still on Ben, who was now curled on his side in the fetal position, but with Allison’s powers in effect he had no choice but to hear his father’s speech.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He lied, stole, and sought attention with his theatrics at every turn, but he was a member of this academy. Your failure is unacceptable. He may have brought about his own demise, by throwing himself to Number Six’s Horror in some drugged stupor, but Number One and Number Six are both culpable in his demise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait you think I did what now,” Klaus’s gaze flew up to Reginald. “You’re crazy! I love me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember this feeling children. Remember what it feels like to lose one of your own and make sure that it never happens again. Let this be a lesson to all of you to be better, to train harder, to follow orders, and to never stray as Number Four did. This statue stands as a reminder to you and as an image of what he could have been, had he listened.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a quick look from Reginald, Pogo stepped forward and removed the tarp from the object in the middle, to reveal a bronze statue. Klaus’s jaw dropped. Standing on a pedestal was a man that he assumed was meant to be him, though it was much more muscular and held itself in a proud posture he would never have taken up. Its face was tilted slightly up, as if it was looking off into the distance and it had its hands outstretched in the style of tv psychics. The platform of the pedestal resembled a ouija board and the man was balanced on the oversized planchette. It’s feet were pointed to give the appearance that the bronze man was lifting off the planchette, almost floating. Klaus hated it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A tool is only powerful in the hands of a disciplined master. May your end be a lesson to others.” Hargreeves paused and silence reigned in the courtyard, until he opened his mouth again a minute later. “Training will resume in an hour. You are dismissed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Reginald Hargreeves promptly spun on his heels and marched back into the academy with Pogo and Mom following after. The rest of his siblings stood staring at the statue, except Ben whose screaming had resumed once the door shut behind their father. The Horror’s yelling had stopped, but Klaus barely registered it, too caught up in the scene before him. How could this family get even more messed up than it already was?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t your fault,” Vanya whispered, turning to focus on Luther. “Dad’s wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was someone’s fault,” Diego growled, as he stepped forward to glare down at the trembling ball of Ben wailing on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not now, Diego. Let’s just go inside,” Luther sighed. The “leader” looked exhausted, as he led the others away. Only Alison remained, still staring at the statue and ignoring Ben.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you all acting like this,” Klaus asked, despite knowing his sister was beyond his reach. “You know he doesn’t control the Horror. Are you trying to set up a tentacle party?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Klaus would hate this thing,” Alison huffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn right I do,” Klaus responded. “Now how about dealing with the screeching thing that replaced Ben?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Alison turned and began walking back to the academy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we can be a worse family,” Klaus mumbled at her oblivious back. Ben let out another terrifying wail and Alison paused, then turned around. She quickly jogged back to Ben’s side and looked down at him. “What will we do now, Number Three?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I heard a rumor</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Alison’s gazed turned icy and determined in the most sinister way, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>that what happened on that mission will never stop tormenting you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell Alison,” Klaus yelled as he lunged forward to try and grab her. His arms passed uselessly through her form in a failed attempt to shake some sense into his sister. He had seen her lose control of her power and be cruel in the past, but this was their brother. Alison flipped her hair and turned to march proudly out of the courtyard. Klaus took a step after her, preparing to unleash his ghostly fury on her, and promptly plunged into icy water for a second time.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! So I'm apparently still writing this. Who knew?! Sorry for the long delay on chapter four! The ending is a little (a lot) rough cause I wanted to finally post this. Hope it's not too bad!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Haven't written anything in a while, but all the amazing TUA fics I've gotten hooked on inspired this. Let me know what you think! Still debating on where I want to take this so any feedback is most welcome. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>